Spintricity - Buying Used Music - Over The Internet Continued(3)

Cetera, Benny Hester, Steve Camp, The Imperials, Amy Grant, and Steely Dan. In 1985, Michael Omartian along with Quincy Jones, co-produced the # 1 hit "We Are the World" by a super group of popular musicians billed as USA for Africa. Omartian is one of the few producers in recording history to have number one records in three consecutive decades – the seventies, eighties and nineties.

In one year alone, he was nominated for ten Grammy Awards, three of which he won for his work on Christopher Cross\' debut album:

1981 Grammy Award for Record of the Year - "Sailing" (with Christopher Cross)
1981 Grammy Award for Album of the Year - Christopher Cross
1981 Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) – "Sailing"

As you can see, Mr. O\'Martian is a talented producer and musician. I found the CD I had been looking for on E-Bay from an Ohio shop. The CD was in excellent shape and I won the bid with a low bid of $10.00. At one time, I found the CD for $90.00 and didn\'t win the bid. The good thing vs the bad thing about E-Bay and their bidding system is that you may or may not win the product. It is a great way to find rare music but it does not guarantee you will get the product in your hands. I\'m sure there is a method that produces better results but I just rely on sometimes getting lucky and sometimes not.

Amazon, Etc.
I won\'t spend a lot of time here other than to say that Amazon showcases a number of used dealers and provides a way for you to see a person\'s comments about their reliability over a period of time, usually a year, as well as their lifetime rating doing business through Amazon. They clearly state the price of the CD as well as any shipping charges and what they will be. I have bought many used CDs through Amazon and never had a problem. Vendors such as Caiman and Second Spin sell through Amazon and have proven to be reliable and true to their word on product condition description and on following through quickly. This is a quick and convenient way to explore many used products. It follows the proven Amazon format and does a reasonable job of providing diversity of genres and products.

Overall, buying used music over the Internet is relatively easy and painless. My experiences have been positive and worthwhile. While this approach has proven useful, such as with the Michael O\'Martian CD, it really isn\'t the same as talking to a real person with a real personality and developing a relationship to explore new or used music. Maybe you have found an Internet based buying experience that has bridged this gap. I encourage you to share your experiences, both positive and negative, with the rest of the community so we can all learn and profit from your Internet buying experiences.

Good Exploring & Listening!
Brian